This year marks the notable 10th anniversary of the inception of the CAMCA Regional Forum. Established as a platform for region-wide conversations on advancing economic and social growth and development, the Forum has fostered dialogue among leaders working across all sectors in the 10 countries of the CAMCA region and beyond. Over the last decade, the Forum has been held in eight major cities in the region as well as in Washington, D.C., building significant relationships with international leaders and influencers and earning its reputation as a premier and unique regional convening. Now having hosted over 1,700 participants and nearly 500 speakers over 10 years, the Forum’s organizers look forward to a productive future of partnership and collaboration with key partners and stakeholders, old and new, to realize greater cooperation and prosperity in the CAMCA region.
The Forum’s decade of achievements is a testament to the enduring leadership and engagement of the CAMCA Network. Learn more about the CAMCA Regional Forum and the CAMCA Fellowship Program’s alumni network here and access more photos from previous Forums over the years here.
2013 – Lake Issyk Kul, Kyrgyz Republic
In June 2013, previous participants of our Fellowship Program came together for our second-ever alumni gathering, connecting the like-minded regional leaders from across all of the program’s 13 cohorts for networking exercises, cultural activities and Fellow-led presentations on the latest developments throughout the region. By the end of the convening, Fellows were energized to build on the collaborative momentum developed in Issyk Kul. They discussed their desire to institutionalize what they felt was sorely needed in the region: a gathering where important issues, challenges and opportunities that were unique to their part of the world could be discussed, and where voices from all over the region and beyond could come together to share key insights and best practices.
Discussions on this possible convening continued after departing Issyk Kul, and alumni decided that it would be important for the next gathering to engage outside speakers, experts and other interested parties who could add to the group’s collective knowledge and impact. It was concluded that establishing a formal conference, open to outside participants and traveling to different host locations across the region from year to year, would be a worthwhile and potentially significant endeavor. (In addition, they decided it would be important to maintain an alumni-only element with a closed meeting that would occur alongside each year’s broader conference events.)
2014 – Astana, Kazakhstan
In early 2014, Fellowship alumni voted on the conference’s name – “CAMCA” – an acronym for the countries included within the program: Central Asia – Mongolia – Caucasus – Afghanistan. Its mission was also established: The CAMCA Regional Forum is a non-political and non-partisan Forum established to promote region-wide discussions on means of advancing economic growth and development in the 10 countries of the region: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The Forum promotes this goal by fostering dialogue and interaction among rising leaders from all sectors in the 10 countries of the region, as well as with international leaders and stakeholders. The Forum organizers believe that expanded communication and collaboration among talented professionals from a range of fields can significantly contribute to economic, political and social development on both a national and regional basis.
In June 2014, the first-ever CAMCA Regional Forum was held in Astana, Kazakhstan, gathering over 50 Fellowship alumni as well as business leaders, government officials, regional experts and other relevant stakeholders. Additional assistance for the Forum activities was provided by partners including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and the Nazarbayev Center. The Forum was off to a successful start!
2015 – Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
In June 2015, the second CAMCA Forum was held in Mongolia’s capital city. While Mongolia is rarely included as part of the broader Central Asia region by global audiences and experts, Secretary Rumsfeld insisted on including Mongolia in the collection of countries participating in the Fellowship Program. He noted that, much like the Central Asian republics, Mongolia had similar geographical challenges, landlocked between two major, region-dominating powers. He often noted that Mongolia had important lessons learned to share with the broader region and could also benefit from expanded economic and diplomatic linkages with nearby neighbors. 2015 Forum attendees were eager to travel to Mongolia, many for the first time, and to deepen cross-cultural understanding between Mongolia and the other CAMCA countries.
We are pleased to announce that the 2025 Forum will be returning to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia next June. Learn more about the upcoming Forum at www.camcaforum.org.
2016 – Tbilisi, Georgia
In June 2016, the Forum was held in Tbilisi, Georgia, the first Forum hosted in the Caucasus. This year marked an important milestone in the Forum’s partnership and recognition with the host country’s government at the highest levels. Forum attendees were honored to attend a Welcoming Reception at the Presidential Palace, hosted by then-President of Georgia, H.E. Giorgi Margvelashvili. During the Forum sessions, attendees also heard remarks from other top officials including the Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“We appreciate the important role of the CAMCA Regional Forum in helping advance regional economic growth and developments. To all Forum participants, and especially the Fellows, let this gathering strengthen your resolve to work together to ensure that peace, stability and democracy prevail,” stated then-Prime Minister Kvirikashvili.
2017 – Dushanbe, Tajikistan
In June 2017, the Forum was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and featured the first-ever CAMCA Business Expo, now an essential element of the annual Forum. Representatives of companies and organizations with an existing regional footprint and/or seeking more involvement in the region were invited to participate in the official CAMCA Expo. Companies from throughout the region were represented, from the hospitality industry to educational institutions to regional chambers of commerce and more. Participants made important connections, chatted about new business opportunities and explored partnerships. Since that inaugural Expo, the annual CAMCA Expo has become a favorite part of the Forum experience and has featured a wide variety of impressive exhibitors from all sectors, exposing Forum attendees to the exciting innovation and bright ideas circulating throughout the CAMCA region.
2018 – Baku, Azerbaijan
In June 2018, the Forum was held in Baku, Azerbaijan on the campus of ADA University, the main organizing partner that year. We were fortunate to have the support and engagement of ADA’s leadership, including its founding Rector and Vice Rector, who assisted in shaping the Forum’s agenda, contributed to its discussions on regional education, facilitated high-level speaker engagement and ensured the successful execution of Forum events. The Forum is made possible with the critical support of partners and sponsors, like ADA University, who see the value in advancing regional cooperation for a brighter future for all the CAMCA countries. Each year, varying levels of Forum sponsorship are available with corresponding benefits. We are incredibly grateful for all of the Forum’s sponsors and partners over the years – including numerous government agencies, corporations, NGOs, business associations and more – who have backed the CAMCA Forum’s mission and played an important part in furthering our efforts.
“The Forum will help us further think about creative ways for integration and cooperation for the sake of peace and prosperity.” – Dr. Fariz Ismailzade, Vice Rector, ADA University
2019 – Tashkent, Uzbekistan
In June 2019, the Forum returned to Central Asia, this time to Uzbekistan, home to renowned cultural sites of the historic Silk Road with dozens of spectacular, blue-tiled mosques. At the heart of the Forum’s mission upon its establishment, was an emphasis on cross-border exchange and cross-cultural understanding, which is why the founding alumni insisted that the Forum travel to a new country each year. Many of the CAMCA countries have shared pasts as part of the Soviet Union, some speak the same languages, some share nomadic ancestors who traveled along the Silk Road, yet, in the 21st century, more often than not, issues like border skirmishes, state-level isolationist policies and competition, had kept the people of the region from getting to know their neighbors. Therefore, an important component of the CAMCA Forum is providing a chance for attendees to get to know the host country on an intimate level and for the host country’s representatives to share the opportunities their country has to offer. This comes to life each year through Forum experiences like presentations on the host country’s latest reforms or initiatives underway, unique cultural performances and customs, visits to impressive landmarks, local cuisine and hospitality and more. When attendees join the Forum, they not only attend an international conference, but also have the chance to truly understand and experience the host location.
2020-21 and 2022 - Washington, D.C.
In 2020 and 2021, due to travel limitations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Forum was held virtually as the CAMCA community was eager to continue their important conversations and connectivity. The Forum was also featured in a notable joint statement, “The Value of CAMCA”, authored by three distinguished regional diplomats and longtime friends of the Forum: Amb. Tedo Japaridze, former Foreign Minister of Georgia and former Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Relations; Senator Sodyq Safoev, First Deputy Chairman of the Senate of Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan; and Amb. Hafiz Pashayev, Rector of ADA University and former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.
“The CAMCA Regional Forum…is a singular event. We are aware of nothing else quite like it in the CAMCA region. The Forum…has both short and longer-term objectives, all of which add great value to the participants themselves as well as to the broader region.” Find the full statement here.
In June 2022, the Forum returned to an in-person setting and was held in Washington, D.C. Hosting the Forum in the U.S. capital provided a unique opportunity to bring CAMCA’s voices to Washington, engaging with key policymakers and leaders from think tank communities, government agencies, businesses, and more.
2023 – Almaty, Kazakhstan
In 2023, the Forum finally returned to the region and to the country where it was initially launched, Kazakhstan. Hosted in the nation’s cultural capital, Almaty, the gathering also marked the start of an important CAMCA Network-driven sideline event: the Education, Science and Technology Conference (ESTEC) hosted by the CAMCA Academic Consortium. ESTEC seeks to bring together scholars, educators, policymakers and practitioners to discuss and share insights on the current and future educational landscape in CAMCA. Find recaps of ESTEC 2023 here and ESTEC 2024 here. As a one-stop-shop for discussions across all fields and industries, the Forum provides ample opportunities for those interested in cross-sector collaboration and caters to professionals from all backgrounds.
2024 – Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
In June 2024, upon the 10th anniversary of its founding, the Forum was hosted once again in the Kyrgyz Republic, back where the seeds of CAMCA had been first planted. The Bishkek Forum featured over 300 participants, high-level government speakers and attendees from more than 25 countries. (Find below welcoming remarks from the Forum founders addressing this important anniversary.)
At the culmination of the 2024 Forum, with now a decade under its belt, the Forum has hosted more than 1,700 participants and nearly 500 speakers, including Prime Ministers and Vice Ministers, Secretaries of Defense and Commerce, Speakers of the Parliament, University Presidents, Board Chairs and C-suite executives hailing from 39 countries around the world.
Apart from these formal statistics, and perhaps most important, are the thousands of relationships, partnerships, business deals and more that have come from the interactions and encounters at these Forums over the past decade – and their countless ripple effects that continue to travel through the region.
The Forum co-organizers are incredibly proud of its growth and trajectory over the past 10 years and look forward to welcoming guests from across the globe to join the CAMCA Forum community in the years to come, working together to advance regional cooperation. We are deeply appreciative of all who have been a part of the CAMCA journey so far.
For more information on how to attend a future forum, visit www.camcaforum.org.
The 2025 CAMCA Regional Forum will be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia next June. Find more information at www.camcaforum.org. The CAMCA Regional Forum™ is co-organized by the CAMCA Network, the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and the Rumsfeld Foundation.